‘Mr. Robot’ Explores the Dark Side of Nostalgia in This Surreal Episode

The big picture

• Mr. Robot
  The episode of “eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes” changed the style of the show dramatically.
• The episode highlighted Elliot's complex relationship with Mr. Robot and Angela.
• “eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes” foreshadowed a major turn in
  Mr. Robot
  the last season.

Over the past two decades, it has been proven time and time again that television is more than a medium equal to film. While films were often treated as superior due to the notion of the “auteur filmmaker”, many acclaimed drama shows have been successful due to the creative control of a singular creator. This is certainly the case with the neo-noir hacker series, Mister Robotwhich was primarily written, produced and directed by Sam Esmail. The style of the series seemed much closer to the classics of cinema like Pine tree i taxi driver which it did not with any other broadcast on the USA network at the time. Although Esmail's style was consistently subversive, Mr. Robot it contained many standout episodes that changed the formula of the show.

Set in an alternate version of 2015, Mr. Robot centers on “Robin Hood” hacker Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek), which secretly exposes corrupt people in positions of power. Elliot is recruited by the enigmatic hacktivist known as “Mr. Robot” (Christian Slater), who convinces him to join the group, “fsociety”, to lead a cyber attack on the conglomerate E-Corp. Throughout the first season, Elliot realizes that Mr. Robot is his alternate personality, based on the memories of his dead father, Edward. Although this twist fundamentally changed the nature of the series, Mr. Robot honored classic sitcoms in the hilarious dark episode, “eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes”.

The episode, “eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes”, changed the style of 'Mr. robot'

When “eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes” was issued, the bets of Mr. Robot had increased quite dramatically. The attack on E-Corp at the end of season 1 had the members of fsociety in hiding as they were hunted by both the FBI and agents of the Dark Army, a powerful group of hackers led by the enigmatic leader , Whiterose.BD Wong). Despite this, “eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes” takes place entirely within Elliot's subconscious as he tries to cope with the traumatic events he has experienced. It was a powerful way to analyze Elliot's mental health struggles and offer a critical look at the way he perceives the world.

The style of the episode has been completely redesigned to embody a classic sitcom Full House or Family matters, with a cheesy backdrop and laugh track, as the episode reconfigures Elliot's family based on vague memories of his childhood. Elliot, his sister, Darlene (Carly Chaikin), his father and his mother, Magda (Vaishnavi Sharma), are all on a cross-country road trip with former E-Corp CEO Tyrell Wellick (Martin Wallström), trapped in his truck. It serves as a clear allusion to how Elliot is trying to deal with his guilt; he knows that Tyrell was hunted for his part in the hack and that Darlene is also in danger during the FBI raid. Elliot retreats to something he remembers from his childhood as his mind threatens to spin out of control.

The format change allowed Esmail to include more than a few fun pop culture references; in addition to a stylized version of Mr. RobotThe episode's opening credits even include a cameo from Alf who presumably answers the end of the show. Despite this, the influence of wider comedy Mr. Robot it allowed Esmail to create a dark sense of humorwith the laughter song playing during genuinely unnerving moments, including Gideon's surprise appearance (Michael Gill), a character killed off in Season 1.

In this episode, 'Mr. Robot' addressed his most important relationship

While it was a fun detour within a very busy season, “eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes” indicated the importance of Elliot's relationship with Mr. robot In the first season of the show, Elliot had resisted the influence of Mr. Robot, as he feared what would happen when he was no longer in control of his actions. However, he begins to understand that Mr. Robot only “takes over” when Elliot is in danger. It is later revealed that Elliot was being tortured by Ray (Thank you Robinson) and his gang, and that Mr. Robot took his place in order to save him from trauma. This showed that the role of Mr. Robot was not just a simple plot twist, but one of the most important characters in the series.

“eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes” also addresses Elliot's romantic relationship with Angela Moss (Portia Doubleday), a childhood friend who also works at E-Corp. Like Elliot, Angela seeks revenge on her employer because her mother was killed as a result of a chemical illness. Elliot's brief interactions with Angela at a fictional gas station store in his imagination indicate that he will have to leave her behind; this teases Angela's dark fate in the following season when she is trapped by Whiterose's influence.

'Mr. Robot' foreshadowed his own future in this episode

Such a radical change in style was certainly entertaining, though “eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes” laid the groundwork for the biggest turn of Mr. Robotthe whole race The last season revealed that Mr. Robot had been created to be a more nurturing version of Edward, when in reality, Elliot's father had sexually abused him. This explains why Elliot is so eager to retreat to a sitcom-style adventure during his delusions, since he doesn't actually have any happy memories of his real childhood. The episode tackles the central theme with nostalgia: while remembering the past in a more optimistic light may be temporarily gratifying, it's no substitute for acknowledging the truth.

Mr. Robot it's a show that managed to take risks. Between a one-shot episode during the attack on E Corp and a gripping examination of Elliot's life in prison, Mister Robot it often bends the rules of what a dramatic show can be. It is because of these radical deviations from the formula that Mr. Robot became a cult hit. Like it or not, there was nothing else on television that had the same ambition as the series.

Mr. Robot is available to stream on Prime Video in the US

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